Free Literature Study Guides & More!

Age Range: 11 and up (Grades 6-adult; children, with parental supervision)

This ad-supported website, created by SparkNotes whose mission is “to help you make sense of confusing schoolwork”, looks much like ‘Cliff Notes’ but it’s free!

When you get to the site you will see a menu of free online study guides in a variety of subject categories. You can read most of the Study Guides for free online. They are punctuated with advertisements (some are distracting), but it’s a small price to pay for the free resource. To give you an idea of what you can expect in the field of Language Arts, you’ll find:

Literature – A stunning array of free study guides for book titles spanning from “Across Five Aprils” to “Walden.” Pick a title, click, and a new page opens that contains the plot overview, character list, a chapter by chapter summary and analysis, study questions and essay topics, a quiz, and suggestions for further reading.

Shakespeare – The works of The Bard are summarized and analyzed by act and scene, and includes study questions, a quiz, and more.

Poetry – From Chaucer to Yeats read the summaries and analyses of the work of great poets and try the suggested activities.

Writing – A remarkable grammar glossary with easy-to-find answers on everything from proper usage of commas and semicolons to superlatives and more.

But there’s MUCH MORE beyond Language Arts! In the History category you’ll find study guides on important eras in American and European history along with biographies of people of historical importance. In Math and Science you’ll find guides to Algebra, Precalculus, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, and more. Other subject areas include Film, Health, Philosophy, Psychology, and Economics.